Having a new baby can be both exciting and overwhelming, with adjustments in lifestyle, changes in routine, and lack of sleep. When you have a pet, there can be the added concern of how well they will adapt to the change in household. While some cats will cope better than others, there are a few things that can help make the adjustment easier.
Before Baby Arrives
Cats have a keen sense of smell, around 14 times stronger than our own. So, it is possible, that your cat may detect a change in body odour triggered by hormonal changes during pregnancy. As such, they may pick up that something is changing before the baby arrives. Whether this is true or not, they are definitely creatures of habit, and often across the months of pregnancy, changes in routine and the house set-up may begin to put your cat on high alert. This is the time to prepare your cat for the big changes to come.
Household Adaptions
Most likely, there will be a room or space that will become the baby’s nursery. If your cat is used to having free access to all parts of the house, this change in use risks upsetting your cat. Allow your cat to explore these spaces as they are being changed or altered. Let them rub against them and transfer their own scent, but don’t allow them to sleep in these spaces. This may require getting them used to a closed door or baby gate barring them from access for periods of time.
A crib or changing table may seem like an enticing new bed for your cat, but it is best to keep these as baby-only zones. If you are not able to shut off access of these to your cat, using double-sided sticky tape as a deterrent can help teach your cat to stay off these items. Cats don’t like sticky things, so will naturally avoid contact with the tape once they’ve discovered it is there.
Your cat will have previously established their own sleeping and safety spots around the house, so when bringing in new furniture, or changing the use of spaces in the home, aim to minimise disruption to your cat’s safe spaces. Try to keep cat beds, scratching posts, food and litter trays in their original places as much as possible, and ensure that there is still somewhere just for the cat, where they can retreat into if they get overwhelmed.
Sensory Adaptions
Bringing a baby home will change the noise level around the house. Cats vary in their noise tolerance, but the unpredictability of noise from children can stress out even the calmest of cats. Ahead of time, it is worth habituating your cat slowly to some of the noises that will become the norm. Play recordings of babies crying, initially at a low level, then gradually increase the volume. Turn on baby-related devices such as baby monitors, breast pumps, electronic bouncers and seats for a few minutes each day to acclimate your cat.
A new baby will bring with it new smells, including that of new products such as baby lotions. Ahead of the baby coming home, you can use skin products on yourself to get your cat used to the smell. While mum and baby are still in the hospital, have whoever is taking care of the cat bring home swaddles and blankets that have been on or next to the baby. These should be placed in the cat’s space but left there for the cat to investigate on their own terms. New smells shouldn’t be forced on them but rather placed in their vicinity for them to approach at their own pace. Keep repeating this until it’s time to bring the baby home.
Emotional Adaptions
Stress management measures are best introduced before they are needed. Play is a good way to bond and de-stress, so it helps to find time for these as the preparations continue for the new arrival. Scratch posts are also useful as a way for them to relieve frustration so should ideally be made available if not already. Pheromone stress-relievers such as Feliway are best started ahead of the baby’s arrival, as are dietary and oral options. Your veterinary team can advise on what options are available, or what might suit your cat’s habits best.
Some cats are naturally more drawn to one member of the household over another. They may be used to being fed, groomed or played with by a particular person, and yet this priority may change after the baby is born. Where there are multiple people living in the house, it may help to start alternating or varying who takes care of the cat’s needs ahead of the birth to get them used to a change in reliance on specific individuals.
After Baby Arrives
First Meeting
Depending on the nature of your cat, they may come to greet you at the door or seek you out soon after you arrive home. If you have been in hospital with your newborn and away from home, your cat may have missed being close to you. If there is the benefit of other people to help, ideally enter the house without the baby initially, to allow some fussing and reconnecting with your cat for a few minutes before welcoming the baby inside.
The first physical contact between your baby and your cat is best to occur on neutral ground, away from the cat’s safe spaces like their bed, raised platform or retreat holes. Interactions shouldn’t be forced. Instead, allow your cat to approach you whilst you are settled with the baby. Your cat will want to sniff the baby to aid with identification. With the benefit of previous scent training, your cat should hopefully be quick to establish some normalcy about the baby being present. If they want to retreat, let them.
Creating a New Normal
With ongoing interactions, aim for positive reinforcement only. Offering treats, stroking, or grooming while the baby is close can help to create a positive relationship and relaxed state. While calm behaviour needs rewarding, don’t punish or berate your cat for unhealthy or unwanted reactions, such as hissing or growling: your cat is manifesting their emotions in a way that is normal for their species. Instead, create some space for your cat to destress.
As cats thrive with routine, consider how to maintain this while adjusting to life with a newborn. Although this may not always play out, the closer to a routine that you can keep feeding and interactions, the less stressed your cat will get. Cats can display signs of jealousy, and even a few minutes of attention across the day is better than none. New babies often bring lots of visitors, so if your cat doesn’t mind new people or is familiar with family, encourage visitors to play and interact with your cat as part of their visit.
When to Seek Help
Every cat is different, and therefore every cat will have a different tolerance for this new individual in their home. In most cases, cats will adapt very well, especially with a bit of preparation time and patience ahead of the arrival. For some, stress symptoms may develop which could require intervention.
Typical presentations of stress and frustration in cats are persistent or excessive vocalisations, becoming withdrawn, destructive behaviour, or soiling in the house. Although some individuals may become aggressive, this is not normally the case. Cats will usually demonstrate their emotions with visual cues and vocal cues long before they progress to physical responses. You may quickly pick up these changes with your cat and can make accommodations, or they may not be immediately obvious with the distraction of a baby.
Your veterinary team can assist with advice on ways to manage your cat for your circumstances. If your cat appears unwell, is pulling out their own fur, or toileting outside of the litter box, it is best to get a health check to ensure there are no other problems. Some physical conditions can develop from chronic stress or have similar symptoms to stress. If physical health issues are ruled out, your vet can recommend behavioural support products or refer you to an animal behaviourist.
A Note on Baby Safety
Your own health professional can advise on any health considerations specific to you and your baby, but there are a few things to bear in mind when mixing pets and babies. Any interaction between your cat and your baby should always be under supervision. Although a small risk, cats can present a suffocation risk if they lie next to a sleeping baby, so this should be avoided, and is the reason for keeping cats out of cribs.
Scratches and bites should be preventable, especially with patient and slow exposure of your cat to the new baby. Observed interactions also allow for defusing of the situation if your cat becomes distressed at any point. If your cat does scratch or bite your baby, seek medical advice for treatment requirements.
Another facet of cat ownership with young children is the transmission risk of toxoplasmosis and roundworms. Indoor-only cats have a much lower likelihood of carrying these infections, which are usually transmitted through faeces. Your health care professional will likely have discussed the management of toxoplasmosis risk during pregnancy, and these same management regimes should continue. Wear gloves during, and wash hands after, cleaning out the litter tray. Keep your baby away from the litter tray or any soiling that might occur around the house and keep your cat up-to-date with parasite control.
Conclusion
In most cases, cats will adapt very well to the addition of a new young human in their home. For the smoothest transition, taking some time to prepare your cat ahead of the birth can help prevent them feeling overwhelmed or anxious when you bring your baby home. Focus on maintaining routine, while allowing your cat to gently get used to the new situation on their own terms. If you are concerned that your cat is not adapting well, or you are worried about their health, seek veterinary attention.
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